Fire place stove etc

The smokeless zone means you’re supposed to use smokeless fuel, or use a stove that is rated for a smokeless zone. In reality though, there isn’t anyone whose job it is to police this rule, so you can do what you like. We use smokeless coal regardless, because it burns more predictably than proper coal (less spitting).

if you decide to pay someone to do whatever you decide to do, don’t use the shop on painswick road… the guy in there will tell you whatever you want to hear and be your best friend, then conveniently forget the conversation and leave you worse off. (lesson learnt, get everything in writing, even if someone seems trustworthy).

However, the fitters he uses are independent and you could go direct to them. If you want someone to fit a stove or fireplace, I can recommend a guy.

and some thoughts, if i put a new hearth in does the fireplace/stove have impact on what i can and can’t do?

Does it need to be done in one hit if i install a victorian style fireplace, or can i put a hearth stone in, leave it whilst i do some other bits on the house that are more urgent and then finish it off when i have some more money and time?

Since no one has said it yet, regarding the chimney, you have a choice of using the chimney or lining the chimney with a flue liner. The latter is generally preferable if you are installing a stove because (i) provided it is sized correctly it will ensure the correct draw from the stove to get the flue gases out of the chimney and a good burn rate in the stove and (ii) it is less faff than trying make a gas-seal on the register plate around the stove flue pipe. However, it can be reasonably expensive.

You’ll need to remove the bricks from the fireplace opening to see what state your chimney is in. Make sure you check for a lintel and if there isn’t one, you’ll have to put one back in (we found ours had been removed as some point when a new throat plate had been added).

Once you have removed the bricks from the fireplace, have a look up the chimney with a torch and see if you can see any obstructions. If not, a smoke test will show up any gaps in the brickwork that will need fixing before you can burn anything in the fireplace (flue gases can be very dangerous i.e. CO poisoning, as well as the risk of chimney/house fire). You can buy a smoke test or you can ask a chimney sweep or stove installer to do it for you.

When a bit further on with knowing what you want to install, we found our Building Regs guy at the Council very helpful to nail down details of the hearth, clearances, flue etc. Inspection and certification cost us about £100.